Coast Guard Releases Statistics on Virginia Boating Accidents

Recently released Coast Guard statistics reveal that 2010 was a less deadly year for Virginia boating accident victims.

2011-07-08

July 08, 2011 (Press-News.org) Virginia's many bays, estuaries and rivers are a magnet for the quarter of a million registered watercraft in the state, especially during the summer months. Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac and other waterways provide many great destinations for a day of fishing or pleasure boating. But these waters can quickly turn dangerous when power boats or jet skis are piloted by drunk or otherwise negligent operators.

Recently released statistics reveal that 2010 was a less deadly year for Virginia boaters. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) recently released national statistics on boating and jet ski accidents, reporting that Virginia had 102 accidents, 14 of which involved fatalities. Those figures are down from 137 and 23 in 2009, but up from the 2008 total of 95 accidents (though that year had more fatal boat accidents at 15).

The USCG also keeps track of the cause of accidents to best understand how to educate the public about strategies for safe boating. The top five primary contributing factors of recreational boating accidents nationwide are:
- Operator inattention
- Improper lookouts
- Operator inexperience
- Excessive speed
- Alcohol use

The USCG tracks all accidents involving fatalities, disappearances of operators or passengers, injuries that require medical treatment, or vessel damage in excess of $2,000. Although intoxicated boating is fifth on the list of all reported causes, it is the number one reason behind fatal boating accidents.

Creating Safer Waters by Educating Boaters and Personal Watercraft Users

Since 2007, Virginia has enforced a mandatory boating safety education program for operators of personal watercraft (PWCs) and motorboats with at least ten horsepower. By 2016, all operators of such craft will be required to carry a boating safety education course completion card.

Starting in July of 2011, all PWC operators younger than 50 as well as boat operators under age 21 must complete a boating safety course. No one under age 14 is allowed to operate a PWC under any circumstances. Certification can be completed in a variety of ways, including a classroom setting, using home study or online. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries provides free courses in a variety of locations around the state.

The cornerstones of boater safety are common sense: always wear a life jacket, make sure that equipment is well maintained, and avoid drugs and alcohol. Virginia practices "zero tolerance" for alcohol consumption by boaters under 21 years of age. For others, a blood alcohol content of .08 or above means a charge of Operating Under the Influence (OUI), up to a year in jail, a fine up to $2,500 fine, loss of operator privileges and mandatory enrollment in Virginia's Alcohol Safety Action Program.

For victims of boating accidents or the survivors of a wrongful death caused by a drunk or negligent operator, a Virginia personal injury attorney can provide timely advice about legal liability and damages. Virginians who responsibly enjoy the water deserve the full protection of our legal system when others cause serious harm.

Article provided by Locklin & Mordhorst
Visit us at www.locklinlaw.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

'Pinkwashing' is a form of social injustice asserts article in Environmental Justice

2011-07-08

New Rochelle, NY, July 7, 2011—Companies that try to increase sales of their products by adopting the color pink and pink ribbons to imply that they support breast cancer research—a practice called pinkwashing—but at the same time permit the use of chemicals shown to cause cancer are committing a form of social injustice against women, according to a thought-provoking article in Environmental Justice, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com) The entire issue is available online at www.liebertpub.com/env Amy Lubitow, Portland State ...

Drunk Driving Bills Fail in the Legislature

2011-07-08

As the spring legislation session ends, many are wondering about the cluster of anti drunk driving bills that failed to garner support. The session began with lawmakers vowing to pass tougher laws that would keep more offenders off the road. Ultimately, lawmakers only agreed to send one proposal to the governor's office. One proposal called for deferred adjudication for first time offenders, but it was defeated. It would have allowed for them to be acquitted if they completed court ordered treatment and supervision. Proponents believed it would help offenders get the ...

Discovery of natural antibody brings a universal flu vaccine a step closer

2011-07-08

LA JOLLA, CA – July 7, 2011 – Annually changing flu vaccines with their hit-and-miss effectiveness may soon give way to a single, near-universal flu vaccine, according to a new report from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and the Dutch biopharmaceutical company Crucell. They describe an antibody that, in animal tests, can prevent or cure infections with a broad variety of influenza viruses, including seasonal and potentially pandemic strains. The finding, published in the journal Science Express on July 7, 2011, shows the influenza subtypes neutralized with ...

Lack of Bike Helmet Law in Idaho May Increase Injuries and Deaths

2011-07-08

The state of Idaho has an unusually high rate of bicyclist injuries and fatalities, according to statistics from 2009. Children and young adults who do not wear helmets when they ride are the most common victims of injury-causing bicycle accidents. However, Idaho does not currently have a bicycle helmet statute, so bicyclists who choose not to wear helmets are not violating any laws. While it is difficult to know how much a universal bicycle helmet law would reduce bicyclist injuries and deaths, such a law is a good place for Idaho to start. Bicycle Crashes According ...

'Unnatural' chemical allows Salk researchers to watch protein action in brain cells

2011-07-08

LA JOLLA, CA - Researchers at the Salk Institute have been able to genetically incorporate "unnatural" amino acids, such as those emitting green fluorescence, into neural stem cells, which then differentiate into brain neurons with the incandescent "tag" intact. They say this new technique, described in the June 16 online issue of Stem Cells, may help scientists probe the mysteries of many different kinds of stem cells in humans as well as the cells they produce. This could be a boon to both basic and clinical research, such as helping to speed development of stem cell-based ...

How visual cues help us understand bodily motion

2011-07-08

"Our visual system is tuned towards perceiving other people. We spend so much time doing that—seeing who they are, what they are doing, what they intend to do," says psychology professor Nikolaus F. Troje of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. This process is called biological motion perception, and humans are so good at it that even a few dots on a screen representing the major joints of a body are enough to retrieve all the information we need—as long as they move. But what role does motion play in that process? Does the visual system use it only to connect the ...

Ironic effects of anti-prejudice messages

2011-07-08

Organizations and programs have been set up all over the globe in the hopes of urging people to end prejudice. According to a research article, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, such programs may actually increase prejudices. Lisa Legault, Jennifer Gutsell and Michael Inzlicht, from the University of Toronto Scarborough, were interested in exploring how one's everyday environment influences people's motivation toward prejudice reduction. The authors conducted two experiments ...

Wayne State University researcher argues that sex reduces genetic variation

2011-07-08

DETROIT – Biology textbooks maintain that the main function of sex is to promote genetic diversity. But Henry Heng, Ph.D., associate professor in WSU's Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, says that's not the case. Heng and fellow researcher Root Gorelick, Ph.D., associate professor at Carleton University in Canada, propose that although diversity may result from a combination of genes, the primary function of sex is not about promoting diversity. Rather, it's about keeping the genome context – an organism's complete collection of genes arranged by chromosome ...

Study: Hypoallergenic dogs not less allergic than other dogs

2011-07-08

DETROIT – Contrary to popular belief, so-called hypoallergenic dogs do not have lower household allergen levels than other dogs. That's the conclusion of a study by Henry Ford Hospital researchers who sought to evaluate whether hypoallergenic dogs have a lower dog allergen in the home than other dogs. Hypoallergenic dogs are believed to produce less dander and saliva and shed less fur. The findings are to be published online this month in the American Journal of Rhinology and Allergy. The study will be available at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ocean/ajra "We ...

Wills And Divorce In Virginia

2011-07-08

You've done your homework and listened to all the experts and their admonitions that everyone should have a will. Then, as it often does, life intervenes and you now find yourself in a divorce. What do you do with your will now? The Virginia General Assembly recognized that this could cause problems. If you died suddenly, you probably wouldn't want all of your wealth and assets being transferred to your ex-spouse. Section 64.1-59 of the 1950 Code of Virginia was created to modify your will automatically immediately upon divorce. A court in a case notes: "The ...

Coast Guard Releases Statistics on Virginia Boating Accidents

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: